2014,contextualizing ourselves

Gridlock in the United States Congress was common in 2013 and 2014. Most notably, the government shut down in October of 2013 for fifteen days. Vice President Joe Biden asserts that politics have become too personal for anyone to reach a consensus. Yet, perhaps Washington gridlock reflects the limitations of a two-party democratic system that historically has not represented so many people.

America was built on a gap between the ideals of our culture, our constitution and the laws of our government. The constitution, ratified in 1788, states that all men are created equal. Slavery was not abolished until 1864. And segregation was considered a legal practice until 1954. This is one example.

As more people appeal to, and make demands from, a government that claims to represent them, it shines light on a more pluralistic version of history.

For example, Smith College holds a huge stake in a traditional feminist paradigm. Therefore, Christine Lagarde and Jeane Kirkpatrick represent exactly what the rhetoric preaches: "Women on top". But as different kinds of women demand recognition, that paradigm no longer fits all women when All Women are no longer wealthy white women.

This struggle is not so much about Freedom of Speech or Academic Freedom so much as a struggle over what kind of woman represents the spirit of our time and what kind of feminism Smith represents.